The Detroit News
Encyclopedia
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S.
city of Detroit, Michigan
. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press
's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune
on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal
on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960, it bought and closed the faltering Detroit Times
. However, it retained the Times building which it used as a printing plant until 1967 when a new facility opened in Sterling Heights
and it was demolished. The street in downtown Detroit where the Times building once stood is still called "Times Square
." The Evening News Association, owner of The News, merged with Gannett in 1985.
The News claims to have been the first newspaper in the world to operate a radio
station, station 8MK, which went on the air August 20, 1920. 8MK is now CBS-owned WWJ
. In 1947, it established Michigan's first television station, WWJ-TV, now WDIV-TV
.
In 1989, the paper entered into a 100-year joint operating agreement with the rival Free Press, combining business operations while keeping separate editorial staffs. The combined company is called the Detroit Newspaper Partnership. The Free Press moved into The News building in 1998 and until May 7, 2006, the two published a single joint weekend edition. Today The News, which has won three Pulitzer Prizes, is published Monday-Saturday, and has an editorial page in the Sunday Free Press.
who, in turn, was the older half-brother and one-time partner of Edward W. Scripps. The paper's eventual success, however, is largely credited to Scripps' son-in-law, George Gough Booth
, who came aboard at the request of his wife's father. Booth went on to construct Michigan's largest newspaper empire, founding the independent Booth Newspapers
chain (now owned by S.I. Newhouse's Advance Publications
) with his two brothers.
The Detroit News building was erected in 1917. It was designed by architect
Albert Kahn, who included a faux-stone concrete building with large street level arches to admit light. The arches along the east and south side of the building were bricked-in for protection after the 12th Street Riot
in 1967. The bricked-in arches on the east and south ends of the building were reopened during renovations required when the Free Press relocated its offices there 20 years later.
In 1931 The Detroit News made history when it bought a three place Pitcairn PCA-2
auto-gyro as a camera aircraft which could take off and land in restrict places and semi-hover for photos. It was the ancestor of today's well known news helicopter. In 1935 a single Lockheed Model 9 Orion was purchased and modified by Lockheed as a news camera plane for the Detroit News. To work in that role, a pod was built into the frontal leading edge of right wing about 8 feet out from the fuselage. This pod had a glass dome on the front and mounted a camera. To aim the camera the pilot was provide with a primitive grid like gun sight on his windshield.
On July 13, 1995, Newspaper Guild
employees of the Detroit Free Press and The News along with pressmen, printers and Teamsters
, working for the "Detroit Newspapers" distribution arm, went on strike. Approximately half of the staffers crossed the picket line before the unions ended their strike in February 1997. The strike was resolved in court three years later, with the journalists' union losing its unfair labor practices case on appeal. Still, the weakened unions remain active at the paper, representing a majority of the employees under their jurisdiction.
On August 3, 2005, Gannett announced that it was selling The News to MediaNews Group
and purchasing the Free Press from the Knight Ridder
company. With this move, Gannett became the managing partner in the papers' joint operating agreement. On May 7, 2006, the combined Sunday Detroit News and Free Press were replaced by a stand-alone Sunday Free Press. On December 16, 2008, Detroit Media Partnership announced a plan to limit weekday home delivery for both dailies to Thursday and Friday only. On other weekdays the paper sold at newsstands would be smaller, about 32 pages, and redesigned. This arrangement went into effect on March 30, 2009.
The News has significantly lower print circulation than the Free Press (over 100,000 fewer copies, according the Knight Ridder 2004 Annual Report) though The News website is the 10th most-read newspaper website in the United States.
Editorially, The News is considered to be somewhat more conservative than the Free Press. However, it considers itself to be libertarian
. In an editorial statement printed in 1958, The News described itself as consistently conservative on economic issues and consistently liberal on civil liberties issues. It has never endorsed a Democrat for president
, and has only failed to endorse a Republican presidential candidate three times—twice during the Franklin D. Roosevelt
era and once again in 2004, when it refused to endorse George W. Bush
for reelection.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city of Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune
Detroit Tribune
The Detroit Tribune a newspaper in Detroit, Michigan was started as the Daily Tribune in 1849 and used the name until 1862. In 1862 the Tribune joined with the Daily Advertiser which then subsequently absorbed other papers, becoming the Advertiser and Tribune. It acquired new management, including...
on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal
Detroit Journal
""The Detroit Journal"" was a newspaper published in Detroit, Michigan from September 1, 1883-1922. “The Detroit Evening Journal” was established by Lloyd Brezee. The paper started as a two-cent daily with Brezee in the position of editor and C.C. Parkard as business manager.On December 6, 1883, a...
on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960, it bought and closed the faltering Detroit Times
Detroit Times
- Overview :The first iteration of the Detroit Times was an antislavery bulletin only printed from May - November, 1842 by Warren Isham.The second iteration began in November 1854. Published by G.S. Conklin and E.T. Sherlock, with John N. Ingersoll as editor...
. However, it retained the Times building which it used as a printing plant until 1967 when a new facility opened in Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
and it was demolished. The street in downtown Detroit where the Times building once stood is still called "Times Square
Times Square (Detroit)
Times Square is a two-block long street in downtown Detroit, Michigan, originally named for the Detroit Times newspaper, whose building once stood on the street by the square...
." The Evening News Association, owner of The News, merged with Gannett in 1985.
The News claims to have been the first newspaper in the world to operate a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station, station 8MK, which went on the air August 20, 1920. 8MK is now CBS-owned WWJ
WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
. In 1947, it established Michigan's first television station, WWJ-TV, now WDIV-TV
WDIV-TV
WDIV-TV, virtual channel 4, is an NBC-affiliated television station based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned by Post-Newsweek Stations and is the flagship station and home base of the group with the offices of the group located alongside WDIV's studios; the "Local" branding now...
.
History
The Detroit News was founded by James E. ScrippsJames E. Scripps
James Edmund Scripps was an American newspaper publisher and philanthropist.Scripps was born in 1835 in London to James Mogg Scripps and Ellen Mary Scripps. His father was a bookbinder who came to America in 1844 with six motherless children. Scripps grew up on a Rushville, Illinois, farm...
who, in turn, was the older half-brother and one-time partner of Edward W. Scripps. The paper's eventual success, however, is largely credited to Scripps' son-in-law, George Gough Booth
George Gough Booth
George Gough Booth was the publisher of the privately held Evening News Association, a co-founder of Booth Newspapers, and a noted philanthropist.-Publishing career:...
, who came aboard at the request of his wife's father. Booth went on to construct Michigan's largest newspaper empire, founding the independent Booth Newspapers
Booth Newspapers
Booth Newspapers or BoothMichigan, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owns eight newspapers in the state of Michigan. Founded by George Gough Booth along with his two brothers, Booth Newspapers is presently owned by Advance Publications Booth Newspapers or BoothMichigan, based in Grand Rapids,...
chain (now owned by S.I. Newhouse's Advance Publications
Advance Publications
Advance Publications, Inc., is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse, Jr. It is named after the Staten Island Advance, the first newspaper owned by the Newhouse family...
) with his two brothers.
The Detroit News building was erected in 1917. It was designed by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Albert Kahn, who included a faux-stone concrete building with large street level arches to admit light. The arches along the east and south side of the building were bricked-in for protection after the 12th Street Riot
12th Street riot
The 1967 Detroit riot, also known as the 12th Street riot, was a civil disturbance in Detroit, Michigan, that began in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967. The precipitating event was a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar then known as a blind pig, on the corner of 12th and...
in 1967. The bricked-in arches on the east and south ends of the building were reopened during renovations required when the Free Press relocated its offices there 20 years later.
In 1931 The Detroit News made history when it bought a three place Pitcairn PCA-2
Pitcairn PCA-2
-External links:*...
auto-gyro as a camera aircraft which could take off and land in restrict places and semi-hover for photos. It was the ancestor of today's well known news helicopter. In 1935 a single Lockheed Model 9 Orion was purchased and modified by Lockheed as a news camera plane for the Detroit News. To work in that role, a pod was built into the frontal leading edge of right wing about 8 feet out from the fuselage. This pod had a glass dome on the front and mounted a camera. To aim the camera the pilot was provide with a primitive grid like gun sight on his windshield.
On July 13, 1995, Newspaper Guild
Newspaper Guild
The Newspaper Guild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did...
employees of the Detroit Free Press and The News along with pressmen, printers and Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
, working for the "Detroit Newspapers" distribution arm, went on strike. Approximately half of the staffers crossed the picket line before the unions ended their strike in February 1997. The strike was resolved in court three years later, with the journalists' union losing its unfair labor practices case on appeal. Still, the weakened unions remain active at the paper, representing a majority of the employees under their jurisdiction.
On August 3, 2005, Gannett announced that it was selling The News to MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States. It is privately owned and operates 56 daily newspapers in 12 states, with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.4 million and 2.7 million, respectively...
and purchasing the Free Press from the Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
company. With this move, Gannett became the managing partner in the papers' joint operating agreement. On May 7, 2006, the combined Sunday Detroit News and Free Press were replaced by a stand-alone Sunday Free Press. On December 16, 2008, Detroit Media Partnership announced a plan to limit weekday home delivery for both dailies to Thursday and Friday only. On other weekdays the paper sold at newsstands would be smaller, about 32 pages, and redesigned. This arrangement went into effect on March 30, 2009.
The News has significantly lower print circulation than the Free Press (over 100,000 fewer copies, according the Knight Ridder 2004 Annual Report) though The News website is the 10th most-read newspaper website in the United States.
Editorially, The News is considered to be somewhat more conservative than the Free Press. However, it considers itself to be libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
. In an editorial statement printed in 1958, The News described itself as consistently conservative on economic issues and consistently liberal on civil liberties issues. It has never endorsed a Democrat for president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, and has only failed to endorse a Republican presidential candidate three times—twice during the Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
era and once again in 2004, when it refused to endorse George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for reelection.